Our first view of our cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas was as she sailed into Sydney harbour at dawn on the day of our departure. It was a thrill to see her from our hotel window as she crept towards the Sydney Opera House and round towards her berth at Circulur Quay.

Our transfer was booked with the Royal Caribbeans agent, due at 11.15 but by 11.30 and having checked in the lobby we realised that it wasnt coming so grabbed a taxi down to the quay, to join a rather long queue of people waiting to board. We had been given the necessary paperwork at the hotel, so we didnt have to complete anything further, but it was unseasonably cold waiting in line - Australia was having the coldest summer in 50 years!!! After about an hour and a half we found ourselves on board and in our cabins, and within a short time (it seemed) our luggage was delivered and we were able to unpack. The cabin was spacious, though we had a minor difficulty in that I was sharing with my brother and the bed had been made up as a double, so we had to wait until the evening for single beds to be organised. However, there was plenty of space for clothes and cases, and my parents were in the cabin next door, so by departure we were organised and ready to experience that wonderful feeling of sailing out of Sydney harbour, passing the bridge and the opera house, and out through the "heads". It was fantastic.

First evening was casual wear, dinner first sitting was in the dining room at 6.00pm and we had chosen to sit at a table of 8 and we were lucky that our companions were good company and very interesting to talk to. The food was very good, with something to suit everybodies taste. Our waiter Ganash, and the assistant waiter Shanshan were very very good, and took care of our every need for the whole time we were on board. Shanshan in particular was a delight, always smiling and happy to please. All meals really were quite superb, and I think the only one we were slightly disappointed in was Christmas day, and we did think that the desserts maybe were not so good towards the end of the holiday, with a lot of ice creams, and sponge type puddings being produced - not to our taste - but none the less its an incredible feat to produce that quantity and quality of food for 2400 people every day. We ate most evenings in the formal dining room, but lunches we enjoyed in the Windjammer which had every variety of food imaginable - and where you could eat as much and as often as you wanted. The variety on offer, and again the quality offered, was outstanding and a credit to the chefs who produced it every day. Everything was always spotlessly clean, and the staff were always on hand to help. Eating there was a real pleasure, and of course being at the front of the ship gave spectacular views as well! Read more